Amen Part 2
"Amen" has been available on Amazon for a bit now. It's a short story and only a buck. There have been some sales and at least one recommendation. I know a couple of people who have read it and have been told that either it was good or that the horror angle wasn't their cup of tea. Which is fair since not everything is for everyone. One review I saw mentioned that the blurb was very misleading.
I get the impression that the individual does a lot of religious reading (nothing wrong with that at all) and had assumed from the title that this story was also purely religious in nature. The blurb just mentions the family and a little girl's prayers and a crisis. It does not mention the horror angle. It does not give away the plot. The individual does not criticize the story at all, just the misleading blurb and that I might have some success if I switch to more pure fiction and stay away from the religious overtones of the girl's prayer.
I had intentionally left out mention of the horror angle - although I did classify it as a horror short. To me, the whole point of the story was a family going through what their own routines are when suddenly this crisis is upon them. Wishing to shelter their daughter, the parents take on their shoulders the horror of the situation and leave the girl doing what she does every night in ignorance. To me, having the blurb reflect that ignorance was important. I thought it would give the reader the same frame of mind of the family and experience the horror of the situation through their eyes. But maybe I was wrong.
The problem is that this is a short story. It has a simple premise, a simple series of events, and a very ambiguous ending. Maybe the ending is a little to visceral in the possibilities. I like to think there is hope there and everything worked out. But there is some serious room for things to go badly. But isn't that what horror is? A situation that you might scrape out of but also one that might chew you up rather badly? Also, this tale is SHORT. If I mention the full situation in the blurb, you will have basically read the plot. People may only be spending a buck, but don't they deserve a little bit of surprise?
I'm not going to change the blurb or anything like that. But the reviewer does bring up a few good points. Maybe the title is misleading. Maybe the blurb doesn't prepare the reader for what they are going to get. Me? I like being totally surprised by a book or short story. Starting with one impression and then getting sucked into the author's vision. That isn't for everyone and definitely wasn't for the reviewer.
What do you think? Too misleading and needing a change? Or is the fact that I mention a crisis and classify the story as a horror enough?
I get the impression that the individual does a lot of religious reading (nothing wrong with that at all) and had assumed from the title that this story was also purely religious in nature. The blurb just mentions the family and a little girl's prayers and a crisis. It does not mention the horror angle. It does not give away the plot. The individual does not criticize the story at all, just the misleading blurb and that I might have some success if I switch to more pure fiction and stay away from the religious overtones of the girl's prayer.
I had intentionally left out mention of the horror angle - although I did classify it as a horror short. To me, the whole point of the story was a family going through what their own routines are when suddenly this crisis is upon them. Wishing to shelter their daughter, the parents take on their shoulders the horror of the situation and leave the girl doing what she does every night in ignorance. To me, having the blurb reflect that ignorance was important. I thought it would give the reader the same frame of mind of the family and experience the horror of the situation through their eyes. But maybe I was wrong.
The problem is that this is a short story. It has a simple premise, a simple series of events, and a very ambiguous ending. Maybe the ending is a little to visceral in the possibilities. I like to think there is hope there and everything worked out. But there is some serious room for things to go badly. But isn't that what horror is? A situation that you might scrape out of but also one that might chew you up rather badly? Also, this tale is SHORT. If I mention the full situation in the blurb, you will have basically read the plot. People may only be spending a buck, but don't they deserve a little bit of surprise?
I'm not going to change the blurb or anything like that. But the reviewer does bring up a few good points. Maybe the title is misleading. Maybe the blurb doesn't prepare the reader for what they are going to get. Me? I like being totally surprised by a book or short story. Starting with one impression and then getting sucked into the author's vision. That isn't for everyone and definitely wasn't for the reviewer.
What do you think? Too misleading and needing a change? Or is the fact that I mention a crisis and classify the story as a horror enough?
No comments have been added yet.
A Journey In Mind
Thoughts, feelings, and discussions on writing, publishing, creative solutions to issues, and generally anything else that might come up along the way.
- Arthur Gibson's profile
- 9 followers
